According to an article in The Healthy Place.com's Depression Community, " ... officials at Veterans Affairs centers across the nation are reporting a spike in veterans with underlying symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, anger, emotional withdrawal and depression."
"For most, the memories put them back in combat, and they feel the same rage, guilt and fear that filled their minds then, said Dr. Hemant Thakur, a specialist in post-traumatic stress disorder at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Kansas City, Mo."
"Thakur said some of the images that would trigger the memories are obvious - pictures of fighting and bombings, of injured soldiers or dead civilians. But many veterans can be affected by subtle similarities - smelling the same diesel fuel used by tanks or the fire from a back-yard barbecue. Some can become anxious even sitting with their back to the door of a crowded restaurant."
"Counselors say virtually all combat veterans have some degree of post traumatic stress, which wasn't understood until 1980 and took several more years to gain legitimacy. Veterans can feel angry, helpless, depressed, or guilty. They can turn to substance abuse and isolate themselves from family and friends because they fear being in a group, or around others who don't understand where they've been."
To find VA Counseling centers: http://www.va.gov/rcs/VetCenterDirectory.htm
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